When you've got more than one Mac, there is a good chance that you need the same information, documents, folders and files as the other. Often, a device at work contains what you need at home - on evenings and weekends — to make sure you’re fully up-to-date and ready to go at work.

In this article we are concerned with how you can use iCloud to sync all your documents between your different Macs, iPad and iPhone - so that the documents you are working on at work can be. Download the SYnc app for Windows or Mac. Access, share and upload files from your mobile device. Mac Apps MacRumors attracts a broad audience of both consumers and professionals interested in the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.

It is always useful to make sure you’re always working on the latest version of a document or file, so being able to sync two Macs is a time-saving superpower that more of us need to know about. In this article, we talk about the most effective ways to sync two Macs.

Can I sync files between two Macs?

Yes, thankfully, you can.

Apple has always made it easy to remotely access from one device to another, which means it’s just as easy to sync up one or more Macs. And although you can, you don't always need third-party software or apps, such as Dropbox or Google Drive. But they are options and are just as easy to set up as the systems and mechanisms built-into macOS for file sharing and syncing.

How you sync files partly depends on what you are using to work on the files in question. When collaborating with colleagues, they or you might prefer to use Microsoft Office 365 and Google Docs. Therefore, syncing files doesn't require native Apple systems or software. To access those files, you would need to login to your relevant Google or Microsoft account, which can be done in the cloud, through a web browser or app.

However, assuming you are either working offline and need to sync later or every 24 hours, or are using an Apple productivity app, such as Pages or Numbers, there are macOS and OS X tools for syncing one Mac with another.

File syncing between two Macs

Syncing files between two Macs is thankfully fairly simple.

One way is to use iCloud. Providing both devices - whether a macOS MacBook or an iPhone or iPad - are logged into the same Apple ID, a file that you've saved on one will save exactly the same on another. But remember, this also means that if you delete it on one, this will be deleted on the other device too.

This means you are always going to be working on the most recent version of any document or file, regardless of the device that you are using. Perfect for those who need constantly updated and synced files between devices! Plus this is surely one of the most secure methods, as you gain the benefit of everything going to the Apple iCloud.

What happens if my Macs won’t sync?

If two Macs aren't syncing as they should, it might be that one is running an older operating system. Making the connection not as compatible or secure as it should be.

The solution is to update the macOS on the relevant device, and there are a few ways to do that. Before updating the operating system, it might also be worth cleaning up any unnecessary and duplicate files, folder, videos, apps and backups that are taking up too much space.

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Delete system junk and outdated caches

Outdated caches created by your apps often cause various software conflicts. Good news, you can delete those and refresh your Mac experience. One way to clean up a Mac and improve the performance is he one of the most powerful and popular Mac cleaner apps on the market. CleanMyMac X is notarized by Apple as a safe app to use on latest macOS Catalina.

Run CleanMyMac X — you can download free version here.
Click on “System Junk.”
Within the scan it should show you any files and other junk and clutter that needs deleting.

In my case, I was able to shave 5.3 GB of useless junk from my drive.

What else you can do when faced with problem connecting two Macs, is to update all your software. Normally, developers release patches for earlier discovered incompatibilities, so having everything up to date is a way to go.

To update all software on your Mac in one go, you can again rely on CleanMyMac X. Click on the Updater tab in the sidebar. Then, select apps from the list, and click “Update.”
Your Mac may need to restart once the updates are nearing completion. Once your Mac has restarted, syncing with another device, either using iCloud or a third-party app, shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Sometimes we need to work on more than one computer and sometimes we work with other people on projects and they have their own computer. How do you keep all the files in sync? Let’s see.

Why might you work on more than one computer? You could have a desktop computer like an Apple iMac and a laptop like a MacBook for when you are away from the office or home, working on the go at Wi-Fi hotspots in cafes or hotels. You could have a Mac on your desk at work and a Mac at home and you may want to access files on the other computer, such as work files from home or files at home from work. How do you sync between Macs?

You may need to collaborate with other people on work or personal projects, such as ebooks, reports, documents, newsletters, magazines, websites, product launches, and so on. There are many cases where we work with others. Working together on the same set of files in the same folder is much better than being isolated and alone. We need to share files and folders and keep everyone in sync.

What if one computer is an Apple Mac and the other is a Windows PC? Your home computer could be a Mac and your work computer a PC, how do you sync files between Mac and PC? When collaborating with others, you may have a Mac, but some could have PCs. A mixed group of Macs and PCs is awkward when you need to keep everyone’s files in sync.

Let’s look at these scenarios and see how to share files and folders and sync between computers.

Sync files between Macs you own

If you own two Macs, and they can be iMacs or MacBooks, they can be kept in sync using iCloud. This is by far the simplest way to make files available everywhere and you can see the same items on every computer.

Just sign into iCloud using the same Apple ID on every computer. Open Finder and select iCloud in the sidebar. The folders and files displayed are exactly the same. They can even be accessed on the iPhone and iPad.

If you are working on a document, graphics and artwork, collecting resources for a project, just create a folder on iCloud and put all the files in there. It will be available everywhere. It is possible to go a step further and the Desktop and Documents folders can be synced across your Macs.

Sync desktops and documents between Macs

Go to System Preferences
Click the iCloud icon
Make sure iCloud Drive is ticked and you are signed in
Click the Options button to the right of iCloud
Tick the Desktop & Documents checkbox
Click the Done button at the bottom
Wait for it to sync your files and folders

It could take from minutes to hours to actually sync and it depends on the number and size of files stored on the desktop and in the Documents folder.

This sync technique uses iCloud storage and your plan must have sufficient space to store all the files. Select the Documents folder and press Cmd+I to see how much space it is using and upgrade your iCloud plan if necessary.

With Desktop and Documents sync, it is all or nothing, which is a problem when space is limited, either online in iCloud or on the computer, like an iMac with a 1 TB drive and a MacBook with a 128 GB drive. It may not be the best method for syncing computers.

Google Drive (the app is called Backup and Sync from Google) enables the whole contents of the Google Drive folder to be synced between computers. It offers more control than iCloud and you can choose which folders in Google Drive are synced, from one to all of them.

Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders can be backed up and eac

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